All Along I Have Loved You
by qumnast29
Summary: AU/OOC It has been five years since Angel has been back from the hell demension and he learns his beloved ran away. He alone will not stop until he finds her. It takes five years for Angel to find Buffy and he did it without Buffy's friends. He finds her and he will be the one to knock down the walls she has built up with all that she has lived through.
1. Chapter 1

A.N. I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer

A.N. 2 This is AU and I love making my characters ooc

Buffy did not return when she ran away from home but she did move forward with life and can never go back. The police did clear Buffy's name immediately but Buffy would never step foot in Sunnydale again. She found her way to a homeless shelter for teens and there she got her GED. It was mandatory and she did quite well. From there Buffy enlisted in the army and she graduated at the top of her class in basic training beating out the men in everything.

Meanwhile in Sunnydale everyone had tried to find Buffy even with them bringing Angel back. Angel learned what was said to her by them and no wonder she cracked. He went on his own quest to find her because unlike them, he had the resources to find out what happened. He would not stop searching the world for his wife. Yes, Buffy is his wife. One of the first things he did was register the marriage in Ireland and had it transferred to the US. Being her husband and he is legally gave him more avenues.

The trail heated up in 2003 when he learned she made her way to a teen homeless shelter and he learned she left with a GED. The next thing he learned is she is serving in the army as an intelligence analyst. She is stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. He read her personal file. Buffy had recently come back from an 18 month tour in Iraq. That scared him more than the slaying. A terrorist could kill her.

It was October 31, 2003 when he saw his Buffy again. He found out where the favorite watering hole was for base personnel and he waited it out. There in front of him was Buffy in a shirt and a pair of jeans with her hair tied back in a military bun.

Buffy looked wide eyed "Angel?"It almost seemed like a dream to her when she felt him pull her in. Every wall she put up over the years crashed down and she let tears fall.

Angel thought about contacting Sunnydale but with what Buffy's mother said, Willow and Xander it is a no. Buffy is his priority and not them.

"Talk to me Buffy. I am real, right here."

He could tell she had been crying "How, how long?"

"The powers that be said I am needed here with you and we are supposed to be together. I know you can never have a normal life with slaying and you can not stop slaying until you die. They seem to think they can make you normal when normal is not an option. I have been looking for you for the past five years beloved. The curse is fixed so you do not need to worry about me losing my soul again."

Angel knew she was in shock in drew her into him tighter. He needed to feel her to make sure she is real and most likely she needs to feel the same. He placed a kiss on top of her head and she relaxed. Now he had a question.

"Out of all the things Buffy, the army."

Buffy gave off one of her musical laughs. "I wanted something where I could use my slayer skills to kick ass and the military made sense. I did very well in basic training. I beat out all of the men in their performance. It was there it was discovered I had a knack for intellegence and I was sent to be trained as an analyst. Then September 11th happened and I was needed more than ever. I just got out of an 18 month tour and they are already talking about deploying again in 4 months. My term of enlistment is not over for another four years and with how the war is going I may not leave especially where they need the expierenced. I did one tour of duty in Saudi Arabia and this is my second tour."

Angel could see the fatigue in her eyes and she has seen more in her lifetime than he has seen in his 246 years on this earth. "Buffy, we will get through this together. I promise you. I will not let you go ever again."

He knew what war did to people and you are never the same again. He knew she is not broken, just worn out and all he wanted to do is take that away. His grandfather had served in the army and he lost use of his arm. It made his very angry and bitter because he could not save either one of his brothers. He was named after his great uncle Liam.

Now he had a question "Can you get time off? Let me help you. I want to help you out of pure love. You need a break."

Buffy smiled "I have been forced to take 3 weeks off starting next week. Apparently I have an obscene amount of leave time on the books and I am being forced to use it. No major plans."

Angel was thrilled "What about Ireland? It gets you away from here. I think you will enjoy it."He was looking just to have it as the two of them. "Yes Angel, I would love that. Thank you."

"So Buffy, any unusual slaying you have been doing these last five years?"

Now it was going to get interesting. "Let's just say when I was deployed I had a vampire come after me screaming I am a sorceress. They thought base camp would be easy pickings. Let's just say a quick double tap of hollow point bullets destroys their hearts. I don't see that many of them but there again this is the desert."

Angel had his own words. "We tend to avoid places like the mid east, too many holy objects. The desert is a turn off, not really good hunting. I will be fine."

Buffy laughed for a second when Angel saw her sleeve roll up a bit. He knew it was not a slaying injury but an injury from war. "You had been shot?"Buffy knew he was worried.

"I was coming back from patrol for the day when the humvee I was on was ambushed. No one was killed fortunately but most of us had gun shot wounds. "

The evening ended with Angel taking Buffy hack to the gates of the base and a promise to see her tomorrow night.


	2. Chapter 2

A.N. I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer

It had been a good night for Buffy. Something she had longed for, dreamed of is back in her life. It may sound needy but with him she felt peace. She has tried dating but they never last long. The last guy she dated, James turned out to be a conscientious objector. He had seemed fine with her being in the army but when he told her that she is a war criminal because of the war on terror, she was ready to kick him in the ass. James needed to be sent to Iraq to learn what really happens and it's the fighters that do the most damage. The worst is the IED that are everywhere. They kill the most and it does not discriminate.

If asked why she never received any mail, care packages, friends and family there when she returned she would say "They did not support me joining the army."Buffy was not the only one, she knew several on base who had that problem too. Her roommate Christina had tried to pry why they did not support her in the army but Buffy said "It's personal."Now for her not having any luck with dating, she was not alone. She did socialize when she had the time but her job kept her plenty busy.

The last social function she went to was a wedding for one of the guy's in her unit. His wife had asked her to be a bridesmaid and she chose the dress from hell. It looked like a deranged version of Barbie ' s prom dress. The men in the wedding party could not stop laughing. They had it easy. They could wear their dress uniforms. After the wedding, Buffy got together with bridesmaids and they ran over the dresses repeatedly with jeeps.

The day went as usual with a PT test which was a breeze. She got to go to the gun range and do some shooting in. Then there was intel coming in from Afghanistan about a mass attack from the Taliban against the US and Canadian forces. It was in agreement and her commanding officer Major Andrew Rabb had agreed. The US needed to go on a harsh offensive to neutralize the Taliban. Buffy was done at six. She grabbed a quick bite to eat before meeting up with Angel.

Angel saw Buffy and she looked tired. "How was your day?"

"Long, I have been up since 06:00 hours. I should not complain. When I have been deployed I have been up four days straight before. This is nothing."

Buffy maybe petite but she packs a powerful punch. Angel just needed to be near her. It had been so long. When they went walking near the cemetery, they spotted a demon. Buffy went after the demon and she killed it.

Angel watched her and the style she fought was even more deadly. He knew it was the military training. "You know you could have let me help you."

"Sorry Angel. When I see vampires and demons I get tunnel vision. Sometimes I go after the enemy without thinking. It has gotten me chewed out by my commanding officers a few times like when I was in Iraq and I wrestled an IED from a woman who was looking to bury one in the road. I did not defy any direc orders but my commanding officer read me the riot act."

Now Angel officially hated what she does. This is worse than slaying in the danger department and he was helpless to help her. He was going to do his damn best to make sure she does not re-enlist. Buffy had the Meritorious Unit Commendation, Valorous Unit Award, Iraq Campaign Medal. He had something bigger to worry about and that is Afghanistan. He would have to come clean about being her husband soon.

He decided to go for the kill and kiss her. It felt nice to be able to do that again. "I was not out of line was I Buffy?"He did feel worried for a second . "Not at all Angel."A big sigh of relief came over him. It was longing that did it. There was something else. In the vampire world they have mates. Angel knew Buffy is his. He knew it all along. The haunted look in her eyes bothered him the most. He knew she was haunted with what happened with Giles, her mother, and her friends. He knew going back their will cause her more pain. Then the deployment to Iraq is haunting her. More happened over there than what she said. He did watch the news and being so far away put it out of mind. He has seen so many wars around the world in his 246 years that he knows will blow over eventually.

The worst ones were world war 1 and world war 2. He did not take a side but when he saw the brutal experiments the Nazis were doing, that made him sick. He ended up rescuing Spike. Spike may be a piece of shit but no one deserves that.

"Buffy, there is something that I must tell you. You deserve to know the truth. The night when I put the ring on your finger it meant something else. It means we are married in Irish tradition. I had the marriage registered in Ireland then transferred it over here in the US."

Buffy was shocked but was happy. To ease his worries she gave him a kiss. "I guess you are fine with it."

"Angel, I am more than fine but the army is going to have to know. What is your plan because it's not something that I can hide well. It could get me into trouble."

Angel had expected something like this. "Don't worry, my actual year of birth is not on the certificate. Are you allowed to live off base? If you are I was thinking you would live with me. "

Buffy began to think. "You will need to be registered to have an i.d. card and for you to come on base. I would list you as my emergency contact in case of anything happening and with what I do the stakes are high. No, I don't have to live on base but live close by. I live in a dorm right now."

Everything was coming together nicely. "I want to do this Buffy more than anything. Let me worry about the details and I have our trip to Ireland planned."

A couple of weeks off would do her some good. "Buffy, did they say how long the deployment to Afghanistan is going to be?"As long as Buffy is putting herself at risk for the country, he will never stop worrying for her.

Buffy knew he was not going to like it. "Nine months to a year and before you ask I am not going to re-enlist when my three years are the up. Who knows how many more deployments I will have by then?"

Angel did not want to think about it because these next few years are going to be the toughest for the two of them. He just got her back and now she will have to go away again not something he likes.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N. I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy had plenty of explaining to do and she got through it all. Angel now could be on base without a problem and he helped her move out of her dorm. Christina was not too happy about needing a new roommate. "Buffy, who will put up with my nagging like you and who will I vent to with Master Sgt. McCool goes on a power trip?"

"Chrissy, you will be fine."

Angel picked up some of her gear and he cringed like her 70 pound backpack. "You had to carry all of that in that type of heat?"

"Yes Angel I do and I also wear a bulletproof vest that weighs 30 pounds."

Angel had found them a house off base to live on that was close enough. Living on base was going to be a bad idea because people would ask too many questions like why is he never out during the day. There was one more day before leaving for Ireland and Angel caught sight of Buffy with her hair down, something he had not seen in a while. She had gone through the refrigerator throwing out what would spoil when they were gone for the next three weeks. Angel saw Buffy pack and he laughed.

"I thought all women over pack. This is a first. I was expecting a few extra bags." He barely could contain himself because any female he has encountered over the years over packs. It is universal.

Buffy smacked him in the shoulder. "Angel, I had packing 101. I know I will have a chance to do laundry so I do not even need the extras. Secondly, I have toned down on the makeup. I can wear it on duty but I am severely restricted."

Angel had scouted out where the nearest butchers are in Ireland so he can get blood and he also had found a butcher here in Arizona. They were taking a private flight because of the sun.

The next morning Buffy was up getting a workout in when Angel noticed she was gone, he did worry. She came back in 10 minutes later. She looked all hot and sweaty.

"Sorry Angel, I am just used to being up early and getting my workouts done then. I like doing it now so it's not so hot. I am going to shower."

Ten minutes later, Buffy was back with her hair tied back in a French braid that she was rolling it into a bun. Angel eyed her before he could tease. "I thought I would be waiting forever for you."

Buffy rolled her eyes and Angel began to nip at her lips. "Can I convince you to come back to bed?"

"Damn it Angel, you can be too charming."

Insert your own smut scene. I write for foul language not for perverts.

Later that night Angel woke Buffy up and they made their way to Phoenix for their flight. Out in the driveway and Buffy was loading her bags into the back of Angel's car, Buffy heard a rattle sound and she knew what it was. It's a snake. She did not dare to go after the snake without having anything on her.

"Angel"

"Coming Buffy, I will just dispose of the thing." Angel executed the snake. "Well, you will not need to worry about them for the next three weeks. There are no snakes in Ireland."

Buffy did feel relieved "When I was in Iraq, there was a horned viper that got in the tent overnight. I shot it dead."

The trip to the airport did not take that long and the flight went off without a hitch. They would have to refuel at JFK but that was not a big deal. Since they were going through a hanger, security was not a big deal.

There were movies to be watched and there needed something more than sleeping since sex was not an option. They had plenty of chances during the next three weeks. There were movies upon movies. "Buffy, anything come to mind and I am willing to sit through one of your sappy female movies."

Buffy had learned to become less picky. "You pick"

Angel grabbed "Fahrenheit 9/11 " and early on he could see Buffy was white knuckling her seat. Angel could tell something was bothering her.

"What's the matter Buffy?"

Buffy sighed "Most of that crap is not true. Secondly, movies like that put US military personnel at risk. When September 11th happened,no one was allowed off post because of the protestor that were screaming outside of the gates that all we were looking to do is kill civilians."

This brought home that she has seen things that he wishes that he could just take away. He found another one "XXX" which was more Buffy's style. She visually relaxed but Buffy did point out that "Skydiving is fun. I have done it. No one does intelligence like that."

A.N 2 We are going to pretend Twilight was out back then. P.S. I hate Twilight so sorry to all of yo Twilight fans.

It started and Angel and Buffy were rolling in hysterics. This is the worst vampire film Angel has seen of all time. "I would put his sparkly ass out of his misery. Really, sparkling vampires?" The movie was turning out to be a comedy for Angel. "Come on, even they could have done better with the fake blood."

Buffy was ready for her own two cents "Why the hell would you go through high school like that? I want to throttle Bella. Rosalie is Cordelia ' s twin and Alice has ADHD. I would kill them all."

That is Buffy and for the two of them, "Twilight" was a comedy.

Buffy did go to sleep and Angel pulled her into him. He had dreamed for years to have his wife in his arms and now he has her. They brought a sense of peace to each other. He fell asleep too and dreams only of Buffy.

The two of them woke up somewhere over the Atlantic. There was food for Buffy which she had some cereal, a fruit cup, and juice and coffee.

Angel watched her with the coffee with suspicion "Buffy"

Buffy knew it was a worried tone from Angel and she needed to explain. "Angel, sometimes I functioned on four hours of sleep. I became addicted to coffee."

The two of them watched "S.W.A.T." Good movie but Angel was not about to tell Buffy that one of the actors could pass as Penn's twin, his most sadistic childe.

An hour later they were in Dublin and a driver took them to the castle that he reserved. This is technically a belated honeymoon and he was going to enjoy it with Buffy. Since he fed last night he was good for a few days. He could tell the jet lag was getting to Buffy.

"Buffy, get some rest. We have three weeks here." Buffy fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. All girls dream of having a prince charming and she has one.


End file.
